any tips for driving to WDW from NYC

[Mrs.viv07]

when i was 12 we drove, my dad left late at night and drove through, he had put a baby matress in the cargo area of our bronco and i slept there i think i was 11 or 12 we ate breakfast and started our first day

flash forward, we were thinking of leaving saturday afternoon around 2pm taking it easy sleeping sat night alongside whatever state we are at, doing the same sunday and checking in to WDW monday morning.

Now we are leaving in January so weather could be a potential issue which is why we want the "extra" day

but couple of questions/concerns
1. how long does it usually take? i know a bus straight thru is about 18 hours but i think from tampa
2.any suggestions or websites where i can get ideas to occupy my 6yo on the way down or thing to see?
3. gas expected to spend or how much $$ to budget for it?
4.best route to take
5.tips????

Thanks

 

[DisneyGuess]

http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/TripGasprice.aspx

This is a great website to kind of get an estimate of gas price for trips.
I have no idea how long the drive from NYC is. We're driving from VA, which is a 12 hour trip. We go north several times per year, to CT. I believe it takes us somewhere around 8 hours to get to NYC.
Try www.mapquest.com or www.expedia.com and get driving directions. That's how we plan our trips/drives. HTH some.

 

[dbmarie]

We live near buffalo, ny and it takes us about 18 hours so depending where in NYC you live it maybe about that.

any suggestions or websites where i can get ideas to occupy my 6yo on the way down or thing to see?

DVD player with new movies

 

[Who'syourMickey]

Here's what we did.

TV in car with new vhs movies they had never seen before.
Or laptop in the car with movies playable on CD.

Personal CD players with new music or favorite music, books on tape or CD of each childs interest checked out from the library.

Every two hours stop and everyone change seats

mini pillows and blankets for napping

Have seating arrangements and changes on 3x5 cards (autistic son always had own entire seat not near anyone)

Feltkids

Play travel games (count to 20 by finding numbers on licence plates and signs)

Pre buy lego sets and suprize them with one to put together, or pull over and let them pick out lego sets from store. A complex set kept my son busy for hours.

pull out a suprize for each child every hour or so....snacks, old maid card set, go fish, travel connect four, the black magnet head toy, travel etch a sketch

Get a new game for the gameboy, make sure to bring it and have batteries

Every time you stop for gas, everyone goes to the bathroom, gets out and does some stretching exercise

Cheap Flip flops in car all gathered in the same spot for next stop so they are easily found and you don't have to wait for everyone to find their shoes.

No sit down meals or stopping. Drive straight through, and eat fast food at the exit where you get gas.

Gather trash from car as you go

 

[dvcbnd]

We've been driving down to WDW from NYC for the past 15 yrs. We have 3 children - DS12, DD8, DS5 and we pack a DVD player, movies, portable CD players, magnadoodles, books w/CD's to listen too, and our favorite -Crayola Color Wonder. This keeps them busy for hours and no mess!!
We stop over one night in Santee, SC (this is about 12hrs from NYC) and continue for about another 6-7 the next day. We find it easier to drive a longer distance the first day rather than the 2nd when everyone is anxious to arrive. We also stop to stretch, eat, or take a bathroom break every 3 hours.
Have a safe trip!

 

[Tinker_Belle]

Thank you for the great tips!

 

[disrailfan]

DW and I typically would pack several beverages in a cooler along with a bad of snacks.

I recommend a pertable DVD player and lots of kid movies (disney of course).

We almost always drove straight through usually starting out about 3:00 AM in the morning and staying that night somewhere on 192. That way we were rested and would go check into the resort the next morning and we could go straight to the park if our room was not ready yet.

 

[Tinker_Belle]

We are driving in the middle of the night too, but we're not stopping. How crazy is that?

We have a 17-hour drive (according to Mapquest), so my husband wants to leave at 10:00 at night and drive straight through to avoid traffic. We only have 1 child, so he can sleep in the back, and the passenger seat reclines all the way back.

At first, I thought this might be a good way for my son to make the time pass (and I wanted to arrive earlier), but now I'm getting a little nervous.

Is there anyone else out there that's driven straight through?

 

[NYDisneyKid]

Hello,,,,Last May (06) 8 (5 adults and 3 kid) of us rented a 12 passenger van and drove straight through from Binghamton NY, (left at 4PM) and just stopped for gas,((and potty breaks) and arrived at our resort at noon the next day. We had portable DVD players and lots of Disney movies for the kids to watch. They fell asleep during the night which was great for us adults,,,,LOL

 

[huntconn]

We drive to WDW every Summer from Easton, PA. It takes us about 18 hours and we drive straight through. I usually work a full day then hop in the minivan that my wife has all ready to go and take off! Driving through the night is not easy but having the 5 and 6 yr olds asleep through the night is priceless! Plus, the traffic is much thinner in the middle of the night. We just bring plenty of Disney movies for the ride. Stop every couple of hours at rest areas or fast food places to stretch and/or go to the bathroom. In fact we're leaving this Friday around 5PM!!!!!

 

[Tinker_Belle]

Thank you! I am starting to feel less apprehensive about the drive...and more exited about getting there!

17 days!

 

[scottny]

when i was 12 we drove, my dad left late at night and drove through, he had put a baby matress in the cargo area of our bronco and i slept there i think i was 11 or 12 we ate breakfast and started our first day

flash forward, we were thinking of leaving saturday afternoon around 2pm taking it easy sleeping sat night alongside whatever state we are at, doing the same sunday and checking in to WDW monday morning.

Now we are leaving in January so weather could be a potential issue which is why we want the "extra" day

but couple of questions/concerns
1. how long does it usually take? i know a bus straight thru is about 18 hours but i think from tampa
2.any suggestions or websites where i can get ideas to occupy my 6yo on the way down or thing to see?
3. gas expected to spend or how much $$ to budget for it?
4.best route to take
5.tips????

Thanks

i did it in 17 hours from NYC.

on the way down say hello to "Pedro" for me. If you do not know what that means you will, you cannot miss it.

who knows what the gas price will be like in January. I would budget $3 a gallon and then if it is less you will have extra money.

i-95 straight down.

Do you have AAA, if so go and get a triptix. They also might have some ideas about entertaining your 6yo.

Have a great time.

 

[Tinker_Belle]

Do you have AAA, if so go and get a triptix. They also might have some ideas about entertaining your 6yo.

Have a great time.

Thank you! I just joined AAA so I will feel safer driving all the way down there. Also, in addition to Triptix, AAA will send you good-quality maps and tour books for free (no shipping charge either). They say it could take 7-10 days in the mail, but mine arrived sooner than that!

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

We drive down all the time. The last time we did straight through was when we had 3 drivers in the car and we wasted most of our first day at WDW with 2 of the drivers sleeping. We usually leave Long Island, NY at around 4am and drive till 10 pm. Depending on how many times the kids need to stop for the bathroom we make it to Georiga or South Carolina/Georgia border. We get up and leave the next morning no later than 7 am. We usually take about 20 hours but we do stop to eat at least once to let the kids really stretch. The best website in the world for driving to WDW from NY is (http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm) You can download their e-book for a minimal fee and it gives you detailed info about each exit. We use it too to count how many exits in each state and how many we have to go.
Have fun! When you feel yourself getting cranky, pull over at the next rest stop and stretch it will make a big difference.

 

[Mrs.viv07]

thanks so much to all of you, your tips are great!
i really appreciate it!

 

[Tinker_Belle]

We drive down all the time. The last time we did straight through was when we had 3 drivers in the car and we wasted most of our first day at WDW with 2 of the drivers sleeping. We usually leave Long Island, NY at around 4am and drive till 10 pm. Depending on how many times the kids need to stop for the bathroom we make it to Georiga or South Carolina/Georgia border. We get up and leave the next morning no later than 7 am. We usually take about 20 hours but we do stop to eat at least once to let the kids really stretch. The best website in the world for driving to WDW from NY is (http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm) You can download their e-book for a minimal fee and it gives you detailed info about each exit. We use it too to count how many exits in each state and how many we have to go.
Have fun! When you feel yourself getting cranky, pull over at the next rest stop and stretch it will make a big difference.

This website is great! Thank you so much for the tip!

I did buy the e-book, but I'm not sure if it was worth the $. All of the info was on their website, just broken up a bit by category.

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

This website is great! Thank you so much for the tip!

I did buy the e-book, but I'm not sure if it was worth the $. All of the info was on their website, just broken up a bit by category.

I find it easier to print as the e-book. Glad to help.

 

[Disneytwinz]

We left around 3am. I liked the fact that we had the first leg of our trip started and by 2 pm we were halfway there. But unfortunately our worst fear happened and we broke down in in Florence, SC. Thank goodness we had AAA. Our goal was to stay over night nearest Orlando and get to Disney early to check in. Our trip would have been 16 hours from Southern, NJ with stops for gas.
I would say leave early, make sure you have AAA and the Holiday Inn Express is a really nice place to stop over in Florence, SC if you need to take a break like we do!

 

[dsnymomof4]

We've driven from NJ twice - both time straight through. We leave arounnd 6:30-7:00 - by that time all rush-hour traffic is gone. We stop somewhere for dinner and the kids usually watch a movie and then fall asleep. I usually start out driving for 4-5 hours, then DH takes over. By the time the kids wake up, we are already in Georgia! We usually arrive at WDW around noon - so around 17 hours total. I would say a DVD player is a MUST - maybe you could buy a couple of new DVDs as a surprise. Also, I print out Disney pages to color, usually buy some new crafts for the kids to do. They also bring their video games - sometimes I'll buy them a new game before we go. Good luck!

 

[RacingPrincess]

We have driven straight down every trip down to Florida. We leave at 1:00 in the morning and drive straight down. We stop off for breakfast usually at a cracker barrell and for lunch we do a drive through. I was nervous too about going straight, but it has worked great for us and the kids.
Going in the winter from NY you have to allow for weather conditions so if it's not safe be sure to alter your plans and not press through.

Coming home is another story though, we have switched to stopping over night on the way back. I think on the way down you are so excited you don't notice the fatigue.